1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to methods and apparatus for digital error detection and correction.
2. Art Background
The transmission and reception of digitized data is common place in today's high technology society. Computer networks, microprocessors, telephone and telephone communication systems, and financial transactions all rely on the accurate transmission of digital data between different locations. The transmission of accurate facsimile, data, telephone, and credit card authentication and verification transactions all rely upon digital transmissions in which any errors in the transmission are detected, and optimally corrected, to prevent potentially costly errors from occurring. A variety of error detection and correction circuits, methodologies and protocols have been used in the past. For example, the use of parity bits, Hamming codes, Fire codes, Convolutional Codes, Reed-Solomon Codes, and the like, have been used in a variety of different systems over the years (see for example, Mann Young Rhee, "Error Correcting Coding Theory", McGraw-Hill Publishing Company, 1989, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,435,807).
As will be described, the present invention provides an improved error correction and detection apparatus and method to provide a very high reliability packetized message transfer and storage protocol for digital data, which includes error detection and correction as a means for ensuring data accuracy. The present invention is applicable to any type of digital transmission or storage system where reliability of data is a principal concern.